Fuyuhiko Kitagawa (TadahikoTaguro) was a poet, translator, and movie critic who was born on June 3, 1900 in Ootsu, Shiga. His father worked for the Southern Manchurian Railroad, so he spent much of his childhood in Manchuria. There, he saw the realities and impact of military control over the colonized lands. He also attended Ryojun Middle and High School before entering the Buddhist Law Department of Tokyo Teikoku University.
In 1924, Kitagawa released his first poetry magazine, “亜,” with Fuyue Anzai in Dalian, China. The magazine featured contemporary poetry and new-age prose poetry (新散文詩). The following year, he published his first poem collection, “Loss of Balance” (三半規管喪失)¹. He received praise for this work from Riichi Yokomitsu, an author who helped start the Shinkankakuha Movement in Japanese literature.
After graduating from the Buddhist Law Department at Tokyo Teikoku University, Kitagawa began studying in the Buddhist Literature Department of the same institution. Although he never graduated from this department, he joined the literature club in publishing “Red Gate” (朱門） during this time. Also around this time, he wrote “Thermometer and Flowers” (検温器と花, 1926) and contributed to publications such as “Blue Sky” (青空）and “The Japanese Poet” (日本詩人).
Kitagawa’s work in the late 1920s highlights his shift toward new-age prose and surrealistic poetry. In 1928, Kitagawa helped start a new magazine, “Poetry and Poetic Theory” (詩と詩論), which explored modern poetry and Western methods of writing. He also wrote his more of his own poems, which he published in the 1929 collection, “War” (戦争), and translated Max Jacob’s “The Dice Cup” and Andre Breton’s “Surrealist Manifesto.” Kitagawa showed a strong interest in various poetic styles and movements, including short poems, cinepoetry, and neorealism.
In 1930, Kitagawa left “Poetry and Poetic Theory” (詩と詩論). In its place, he started “Poetry: Reality” (詩・現実) with Tatsuji Miyoshi and Tai Kanbara to explore Proletariat Poetry. Similarly, in 1950, he started “Time” (時間）to focus on neorealism. In his later years, Kitagawa also founded the Modern Poet Association. As the first director of the organization, he participated enthusiastically by creating newsletters and organizing the finances of the group.
In 1963, Kitagawa moved to Tachikawa, Tokyo. He passed away in 1990 at the age of 89.
¹ 三半規管: semicircular canals; controls balance and spatial orientation
For further information see:
http://www6.plala.or.jp/guti/cemetery/PERSON/K/kitagawa_hu.html
https://kotobank.jp/word/%E5%8C%97%E5%B7%9D%E5%86%AC%E5%BD%A6-50862
https://kotobank.jp/word/%E8%A9%A9%E3%81%A8%E8%A9%A9%E8%AB%96-74480
https://www.japan-poets-association.com/about/history-2/
https://kotobank.jp/word/%E6%A8%AA%E5%85%89%E5%88%A9%E4%B8%80-22099
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